


Persistence of Memory

by nagi_schwarz



Series: Foxtrot [34]
Category: Stargate Atlantis, The Dollhouse - Fandom
Genre: Crossover, F/M, M/M, not actually RPF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2016-03-14
Packaged: 2018-05-26 14:14:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6242548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nagi_schwarz/pseuds/nagi_schwarz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the comment_fic prompt: Stargate Atlantis, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, as long as Rodney is complaining John knows everything will be okay. The beginning of the end of Jennifer and Rodney. Set post-series. Rodney remembers John's confession to him on the pier during The Shrine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Persistence of Memory

When Rodney opened his eyes and the first words out of his mouth were, "I hurt like hell," John knew everything would be okay.  
  
Jennifer was clutching Topher's hand, eyes brimming with tears of relief. Topher looked torn between smugness at much-deserved gratitude and discomfort at Jennifer, well, touching him.  
  
"Oh, Rodney," Jennifer breathed. "You're alive."  
  
"I better be, because if I hurt this much in heaven, heaven sucks and I want to go to hell," Rodney grumbled. He blinked blearily. "Jennifer. John. Evan. Joe. Squirrelly guy."  
  
"Topher," he said patiently.  
  
"Topher fixed you," Jennifer said. "I couldn't have done this without him."  
  
Rodney grunted in pain; Jennifer nodded to a nurse, who went in search of a syringe full of pain meds.  
  
"What do you mean, he fixed me?" Rodney asked. His eyes widened in horror. "Am I an active now? Am I broken, like Ballard?"  
  
"No," Joe said calmly. "You're fine. Between Topher and Victor, you're good as new, no active architecture, no imprinting required."  
  
"Oh. Good." Rodney blinked. "I - the last thing I remember was that little girl and someone screaming about a bus."  
  
John's throat closed. Of all the dangers he and Rodney had faced over the years, and the thing that almost ended Rodney was a damn bus when he was trying to rescue a child.  
  
"I did stagger your memories so they wouldn't all hit you at once," Topher said.  
  
"You said you didn't imprint me!" Rodney cried, then winced and clutched his ribs.  
  
"I can heal someone's brain without imprinting them," Topher said. "Where's that nurse? Someone drug him already."  
  
Jennifer chuckled softly and leaned in to kiss Rodney, but he put up a hand, forestalled her. She blinked, confused. "Are you all right?"  
  
Rodney said, "When you said you healed my brain, what do you mean?"  
  
"I mean I fixed your brain so it's basically good as new," Topher said. "Not new-new, obviously, you won't be building synapses like a toddler again, but any trauma has been healed. Why?"  
  
Rodney jabbed a finger at Joe. "You _bastard!_ "  
  
Everyone immediately turned to glare at him.  
  
Joe raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Me? What did I do?"  
  
Evan wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "I suspect he means the other you."  
  
John winced. Until Joe grew his hair out a little more and bought more of his own clothes, people were going to keep mixing them up.  
  
"Rodney," Jennifer said carefully, "I gave Topher permission to help me design the surgery protocol on your brain. John had nothing to do with it."  
  
Rodney spluttered helplessly. Then he scooped up the nearest object - the nurse call button - and flung it at John. "How dare you!"  
  
John dodged it automatically. "At least we know you're really better. I'm going to let that go because you're recovering from some serious injuries –"  
  
"That night on the pier, where the parasite was in my brain – _you told me_!" Rodney shouted.  
  
John froze.  
  
"You told me about the Dollhouse first." Rodney's breathing became ragged.  
  
Jennifer gestured for a nurse. "Rodney, please, calm down, you'll re-open your wounds."  
  
The nurse darted in with a syringe, injected sedatives into Rodney's IV.  
  
"You told me," Rodney whispered. "You told me you love me..." His eyes rolled back in his head, and he slumped against the pillow.  
  
John felt Jennifer's gaze on him, wide-eyed and horrified and betrayed and hurt and confused. Topher ducked away and took the nurse with him.  
  
"John?" Jennifer asked.  
  
He swallowed hard, fell back a step. "Not here. Not now. When he's more stable." He spun on his heel and strode out of the room. Jennifer started to follow, but Evan and Joe stopped her.  
  
John wished he could turn back time, go back to Rodney complaining, because nothing was okay, not anymore.


End file.
